Lockheed Martin CKEM

The U.S. Army's CKEM (Compact Kinetic Energy Missile) program was begun in 1999, and is planned to result in a
next-generation anti-armour missile using a hypersonic rod to kill its targets. CKEM is essentially a follow-on program
to the MGM-166 KEM (Kinetic Energy Missile) of the LOSAT (Line-of-Sight
Anti-Tank) system. CKEM will be smaller, lighter, and faster than KEM, and will be employed by the Army's
FCS (Future Combat System) and other platforms.

Raytheon HATM

A team led by Raytheon was privately developing and testing the HATM (Hypervelocity Anti-Tank Missile),
which was demonstrating technologies needed for the future CKEM. Unguided HATM BTVs (Ballistic Test Vehicles)
were first test-fired in August 2002, using the new Raytheon Universal Launcher mounted on an HMMWV (High-Mobility
Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle). This launcher uses the Raytheon ITAS (Improved Target Acquisition Sight) and can fire
several types of Army guided missiles. The external dimensions of the HATM made it also potentially
compatible with the existing launchers for the BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile.
The BTVs were stabilized by flip-out fins, and proved the integrity of the airframe
and its flight stability under the aerodynamic stresses of fast acceleration to Mach 6+. A second BTV test series in
November 2002 successfully demonstrated the separation of the low-drag kill vehicle from the rocket booster.

Photo: Raytheon

HATM BTV

Lockheed Martin CKEM

Lockheed Martin was also developing a CKEM design since the original contract was awarded in April 2000.
The ATD (Advanced Technology Demonstration) phase began in October 2003, and in November, Lockheed Martin successfully
tested CKEM components in a first flight test. Lockheed Martin's CKEM missile is about 1.5 m (60 in) long
and weighs less than 45 kg (100 lb).

Image: Lockheed Martin

CKEM

In June 2004, Lockheed Martin won the sole-source contract for the remainder of the ATD program, which will last until
2006. At the time of this writing, Lockheed Martin has conducted more than 20 CKEM flight tests.
The projected operational CKEM is expected to have at least an effective range of 400-8000 m (440-8750 yds),
and the weapon system will be able to attack multiple targets within a few seconds.

Specifications

Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!